CEJ 4

Garrett Kitchen

February 11, 2013

The ‘Die Hard’ Quandary

Nocera, Joe
nytimes.com
February 11, 2013
Opinion
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/opinion/nocera-the-die-hard-quandry.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
        This Wednesday, A Good Day to Die Hard, the fifth movie in the Bruce Willis starred series. Like done for many franchises of movies, the Regal and AMC theatre companies are featuring a twelve hour marathon of all five movies (Joe Nocera, nytimes.com). The general plotline of all the movies is John McClane (Bruce Willis) an ex lieutenant of the NYPD and LAPD, has to save the nation from terrorists attacking others, himself, or the nation. The author’s opinion on the franchise is that he sides with the second amendment abolitionists, and relates violent imagery back to the pornography issue, which would lead to the abolition of the first amendment. The author touches on a larger topic, but doesn't delve into it.
        I immediately disagreed with the Nocera. I believe that the shooting in Connecticut is a real issue, but if our government banned all weapons, or even assault weapons, who’s to say it will stop illegal import of the banned weapons. Crack, meth, Heroin, and many other drugs are illegal, yet the import and use of these illegal drugs is still a prominent issue in America. On the topic of violent imagery affecting peoples anger and tendency to do violent things, I don’t disagree with it may having some effect on people’s aggression, but I don’t think prohibiting violent content. The people, who perform these disgusting acts of violence, also have mental disabilities or are negatively affected by their social lives, along with many people on earth, playing violent video games. Additionally I disagree with the way our country has portrayed pornography and sex as an act or image worse than violence. I don’t believe that creating lives should be treated as more naughty than taking them, although I do not support teen pregnancy. Obviously the author’s article was bias, because it was an opinion, but I think it was bias towards banning guns because he works for the New York Times, which is generally a more liberal newspaper. I think my opinion was also bias, because on the gun issue I may be a democrat, but I own guns and enjoy hunting and target shooting. I was also bias on the imagery issue, because I am from a younger generation, where sex is not as shielded from the youth as it used to be.